Overcoming adversity essay examples

Madame de Blayac is furious when she learns that Ponceludon has left her for Mathilde and plots her revenge. Ponceludon is invited to a costume ball "only for wits." Upon arriving at the ball with Mathilde, he is manoeuvered into dancing with Blayac and is tripped. His spectacular fall earns him the derisive nickname "Marquis des Antipodes " by Milletail. Ponceludon tears off his mask and condemns their decadence. He tells them that they class themselves with Voltaire because of their wit, but they have none of Voltaire's compassion. He vows to drain the swamp by himself, and leaves the court with Mathilde. Madame de Blayac removes her mask and stands silently crying.

1. Be aware of, and accept that adversity is
inevitable in life. As has already been
pointed out, adversity is part of life. To avoid or resist it will only
make it persist. Everywhere you look in the world there is unmistakable
struggle. There are floods, tsunamis, wars, and calamities of all
types. Even within your own circle of family and friends there is
death, loss and tragedy. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is
optional. So what do you do?

2. Build your internal resources. Before adversity
hits, work on cultivating emotional
strength, courage and discipline . When you make
yourself aware that certain difficulties are inevitable, you can
prepare yourself mentally for confronting adversity head-on. It would
be no different than a
warrior going to battle. He (or she) prepares himself physically and
mentally for any possibility. He knows it could be ugly, daunting, and
grueling, but he is equipped. More often than not, when you're prepared
for the worst, the worst never happens, or it's much less severe than
anticipated. Another invaluable inner resource is faith. Faith that
everything will work out; faith that there is always light at the end
of the tunnel, and faith that "this too shall pass."
Everything in life has its place and purpose.

3. Build your external resources. Build a support system of family and
friends. When the going gets tough, we all need encouragement and
support. We need someone to talk to; someone to help ease the
burden. You would be surprised to discover how often a friend has had a
similar experience and can help guide you
through the difficult time. Even just knowing a friend is there when
you need them can be
most comforting.

4. That which does not kill you doesn't
always
make stronger.
Sorry Nietzsche! While I agree
with Nietzsche , in principle that -
"that what does not kill you will make you stronger", I do not
necessarily agree
with him in practice. For instance, if you do not have enough built-up
resilience
or experience in dealing with difficulty, adversity can crush you. On
the other hand, if do you have sufficient resilience, then indeed it
will make you stronger. How so, you ask? Resilience like any muscle is
built up gradually and exponentially with repeated exposure to
obstacles. If you lack practice in confronting obstacles (as when you
choose to avoid them), one traumatic event can take you down.
To underscore this point, developmental research has
shown that traumatized children are more, rather than less, likely to
be traumatized again. Likewise, those who grow up in tough
neighborhoods become weaker, not stronger, and are more likely to
struggle in life.

5. Take inspiration and learn from others who
have dealt successfully with adversity. There are many
inspiring
stories of people who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. They
triumphed over their adversities to live successful, productive lives
instead of surrendering to it.